Kangana Ranaut's fierce avatar as Manikarnika, the Queen of Jhansi will give you goosebumps

Actor dressed in heavy ensembles, keeps us engaged throughout with her spectacular portrayal as warrior monarch

Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut's upcoming venture Manikarnika: the Queen of Jhansi promises to be an intense watch and the film's first teaser proves just that.

The two-minute clip opens to megastar Amitabh Bachchan narrating the change in rule when the British took over united India.

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Then comes Ranaut's first glimpse of the fierce Manikarnika as she pierces through the British flag. And, we are instantly mind blown! Bollywood's 'Queen' keeps us captivated with her heavy ensembles and spectacular avatar as a warrior monarch.

She seems poised as she takes charge with an army to demolish the enemy.

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Manikarna: the Queen of Jhansi is produced by the makers of Baahubali and the two films bear evident similarities in terms of VFX effects. Another prominent resemblance would be the grandeur of the scenes.

However, one thing that is executed brilliantly is how Manikarnika is shown holding a baby in various stills, which might reflect on how the head of state handled her kingdom just as brilliantly as her household.

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The Krishna Radha-helmed periodic project also gave us major feels of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat. Ranaut's portrayal as the Queen of Jhansi strikes a chord with Deepika Padukone's rendition of Rani Padmini.

Just like Padmaavat, Manikarnika also faced the wrath of the right-wing Hindu party, Sarv Brahmin Mahasabha (SBM), when the film's team started receiving threats over the indecent portrayal of the Queen of Jhansi.

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State president of SBM, Suresh Mishra said, “The movie is violating history. It’s on ‘Jhansi ki Rani’ and it’s made to earn crores. We don’t care about that but we won’t let that happen by violating the history.”

He further stated that he doesn’t want similar controversies that Padmaavat underwent and requested the director to vouch for the movie's storyline. Mishra also added that if the issues are not addressed, SBM will not allow the filming in Rajasthan.

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The songs and dialogues of Manikarnika have been penned by Prasoon Joshi, chief of Central Board of Film Certification. The biopic is primarily based on the life of the Queen of Jhansi and her war against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The film is slated to release on January 25, 2019.


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